Nicole and Mike met as skydivers one summer and the two of them have this wonderful electric energy I was eager to capture. Winter is a fine time to shoot adventurous couples and I was stoked when they were totally down to go tromp in the snow in fancy threads for me. We were going for a fancy snowy vibe with some real outdoor goodness. The weather forecast was for dumping snow and we were super stoked. We decided to wear snowshoes, which made it a bit more adventurous with the fancy and opened a whole lot more options for epic spots.

Mike secretly texted me asking if I’d be offended if he proposed to Nicole at the end of shoot. GAH!!! Um. NOT AT ALL!! I was so excited I could hardly contain myself.

He sent a picture of the ring from Michellia Fine Jewelry out of Seattle and it was absolutely amazing!!

The day before, Mike took a day trip up White Bird to visit Nicole’s family and borrow a few things, plus bring down her grandmother’s fur for the shoot. While there, he let them know he intended to propose to her the next day.

I asked one of my favorite floral designers to create something that was light and bright for our snowy vision. Nila from Farm to Market Floral Designs created a masterpiece that worked beautifully.

I had found the perfect dress online for Nicole. As the time got closer, it was starting to be questionable whether it would arrive in time. Right up to the last minute, I was heading to the post office on the hour, and sadly, it remained in transit. With minutes to spare, I ran to one of my favorite shops and got a couple of possibilities, then raced home and grabbed anything I had in my closet. Luckily, I found a few options and handed Mike an armload for Nicole to try on when she got back from getting her hair and makeup done by Claire of Topside Boutique + Salon. The stretchy black dress from my closet by Betsy and Adam was the pick and fit beautifully. We happily headed down the road where the snowplows stop plowing and parked in the last turnout in Payette National Forest.

We savored the calm a bit with a little tailgate party before strapping on our snowshoes (donning an umbrella for Nicole’s hair and makeup!) and headed out into the thickly falling snow. I have to admit I was a bit nervous for Mike’s sake; I had no idea how this proposal would unfold and I really felt for him! A whole lot of fun and a bunch of laughs later, Mike finished up our session on one knee like a pro and the snow delivered perfectly; Nicole was completely surprised!!

The sentiment wasn’t lost on any of us how on completely touching it was that Nicole ended up wearing her grandmother’s fur coat while sporting her sparkling new engagement ring - a large Australian boulder opal surrounded by diamonds!

My favorite shot is the two of them gleefully smiling, she bending forward and he grinning with a snowy knee after the fact!

From the couple:

Mike was a skydiver in New York who came to Idaho to get his tandem instructor license in 2016. I was a part of the sky dive family in Idaho. When he came to Idaho he would stay at the "drop zone house" where I spent a lot of time. The first time we met was at that house because I was staying there for the night before flying out to Mexico the next day. We became instant friends.

He spent the summer in Idaho before taking a job in Mexico, then headed to Key West to work. I traveled to Key West twice to visit and jump. Then he returned to Idaho to jump and had an unfortunate accident that broke his back and neck. We all united together to take the best care of him possible. He decided to return home to Portugal to continue his healing process, where he did miraculously.

He started jumping again in Portugal and Spain before deciding to return back to Idaho in November of 2019. I was there to greet him when he landed (still platonic friends at this time). The day after he arrived in the states we decided to take a road trip to some hot springs, where my car broke down and we were stranded In a hotel for 3 days.

We fell in love during that time.

He had accepted a job in Costa Rica shortly after that, so I traveled to Costa Rica to spend time solidifying our friendship-turned-lovers. Mike returned to my home in Mccall in Feb of 2020, right before the lock down and the rest is history. We fell madly in love and have created a beautiful life together.